Modern consumers spend most of their time online on different websites and apps. The easiest way to reach your target audience is to build a noticeable online presence. And this is what brands in the UK have successfully done over the past two decades. Most companies now at least have a website that they regularly operate. A significant number of companies have also moved to web apps and even mobile apps for their operations. However, the digital world doesn’t really stand still. We have passed the days of simple apps. As AI development services gained prominence across the world, it automatically promoted the customers to demand for more. Today a basic app doesn’t appeal to your audience anymore. Customers want something that’s faster and smarter. The old-school web apps are falling short on that front. But there is, indeed, a way forward.
The tech sector is now slowly moving away from basic web apps. The next big thing in the market are the progressive web apps (PWAs). But the evolution doesn’t stop there. The final idea is to build AI-backed platforms that can think on their own and serve the customers more efficiently without heavily relying on manual inputs.
This steady technological evolution has now started to change how London-based companies are looking at building an online presence. It’s not simply about adopting a new tech just for the sake of it. AI-powered platforms, in all honesty, make life easier for both the users and the businesses. But how exactly is this transition going to pan out? That’s what we’re going to take a look at.
Understanding the Evolution: Web App, PWA, and AI-Enabled Platform
If you want to understand where modern businesses are heading, it always helps to take a look at how far we’ve come. For most companies, their digital journey has followed a pattern. Most of them started with web apps and now they’re slowly moving to AI-driven systems.
The Early Web App
Before mobile apps existed, web apps had the centre stage. It was the first step away from static websites. Web apps allowed the users to perform a bunch of actions online. When users visited these web apps, they could log into their profiles and interact with the content on the website. Web apps, although not really preferred by the modern users, still haven’t become completely obsolete. Take an online banking portal for example. These are relatively simple and functional systems. However, the catch is that web apps depend largely on servers and connectivity. This means that the digital interaction on these apps aren’t really perfect. A slightly heavier server load or poor connection can disrupt how these web apps perform. And this challenge finally paved the way for progressive web apps.
The Rise of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
A big leap in web technology came with progressive web apps. PWAs changed the way web technology behaved and that made things easier for the users. With progressive web app development in the UK, users can interact with the businesses far better. These apps feel like mobile apps but they run directly in the browser. People can install PWAs and access them offline just like any other app on their smartphones. For web app development companies in London, progressive web apps became the middle ground between basic websites and mobile apps. There are several benefits with PWAs. For starters, they’re faster than websites and cheaper than native apps. Businesses don’t have to invest in native app development and still give their users a complete experience.
The Age of AI-Enabled Platforms
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t really a new concept. However, the development in the field of AI has never been as rapid as it has been since the past decade. AI bypasses basic functionalities and brings much more to the mix. It understands the users through the interactions and design experiences that are meant to feel very personal. AI helps massively in predicting user behaviour and automation. AI development services in the UK have brought AI-powered systems within the reach of modern brands. But before we jump into that, we should understand why PWAs are different from standard web apps.
What Makes Progressive Web Apps Different from Standard Web Apps
PWAs solved one quite significant challenge that UK-based brands faced. Web apps lacked functionalities and performance but mobile apps were more expensive to build. But what really changed with progressive web apps?
Offline Access
Progressive web apps can store data locally through background scripts. Even if a user isn’t connected to the internet, they can browse the app comfortably. For web apps, this was a distant dream. Especially as far as business operations are concerned, this has benefited several industries. For logistics or field-based companies in the UK, workers often have to move in and out of coverage zones. Progressive web apps help keep the business running even when that happens.
Speed and Performance
Progressive web apps use caching. This means that the apps load instantly after the first visit. This is something that brings up the user satisfaction rate. Studies have shown that even a one-second delay in app performance can reduce the conversion rate by up to 7%. PWAs eliminate that possibility.
App-Like Experience
One thing that PWAs did was that they blurred the line between websites and apps. PWAs can be installed in the systems and they’re far more interactive and responsive unlike websites. However, these are not native apps. Progressive web app development in the UK became so popular solely because of the fact that the experience was completely hassle-free for the end users.
Unified Maintenance
The problem with platform-native apps is that they require separate codebases for Android and iOS. That’s not an issue with PWAs. PWAs work on every device using one single codebase. This also means that maintaining or updating PWAs isn’t an expensive or tedious affair.
How AI Is Redefining the Next Generation of Digital Platforms
AI development services in the UK is the next push that businesses are heading to. Adding AI completely transforms what a system can do. With AI, your apps and websites don’t need to wait for the users to act anymore. Instead, they track the past interactions and predict what the users might need next. This has changed the game for UK-based brands.
Real-Time Personalization
The biggest advantage with AI is that it allows companies to serve each user as distinct individuals. AI can track and analyze hundreds of data points, including location, time, usage history, budgetary preferences, and even more. So, an AI-powered PWA might show different products to different users based on what they have purchased previously.
Predictive Analytics
AI collects data and then it analyses the data to provide actionable insights. So, for example, a hotel booking site that uses AI can recommend the ideal rooms to users during peak periods to attract more customers. AI brings this sort of predictive analytics in all aspects of business operations.
Smarter Customer Service
AI can communicate with your customers in real-time, just like a human agent. With AI chatbots and virtual assistants, your business can be at the service of your customers 24/7. Plus, you don’t need to always moderate how these bots are interacting with the users. They use machine learning (ML) technology to learn from past interactions. This means that your users always feel at ease and well-served while they’re on your platform.
Integrating AI into PWAs: Turning Smart Apps into Intelligent Platforms
Most companies have already taken the first big leap by shifting from static web apps to progressive web apps. With AI development services in the UK being more accessible now, we’re now staring at the next generation of smart platforms.
Laying the Data Foundation
Any AI system is built on highly structured data. If you want to migrate to an AI-based platform, you first have to clean the existing database. The next step is to unify customer information and create a data pipeline. This is the groundwork to facilitate the transition. Without this, even the best AI models won’t be able to perform.
Embedding ML Models
After you have the data layer, you can integrate your ML model into the PWA. AI systems function on these models. All the predictive analytics and smart personalization is powered by machine learning. You can hire AI development services in London to make sure that this integration follows your targets as a brand.
Continuous Monitoring and Updates
Developing an AI platform or shifting to one isn’t an one-off endeavour. Even after the deployment, the model might require more training and optimization. That’s how a PWA develops into a genuinely intelligent system. It keeps learning and getting better with every interaction, every passing day.
Read More: AI in Web Development: Use Cases, Benefits, and Future Trends
Building a Future-Ready Digital Ecosystem: A Step-by-Step Roadmap for UK Brands
Assess and Audit
Before you begin the transition, you need to know where exactly you can improve. Start with what you already have. Understand the aspects of your app that users like and the aspects that fend them off. This evaluation will make you understand where automation can be a game-changer for your platform. It protects you from overspending.
Upgrade to a PWA
Don’t straight away invest in an AI platform. Start slow and build a progressive web app first. Get the necessary features included in your PWA, including offline access and easy installation.
Build the Data Backbone
Once your PWA has enough traction, start cleaning the existing data. This is the first step for your big move to AI. Unify the data in a single ecosystem and implement analytics tracking. The more time you invest in building the data structure, the smoother your transition will be from a PWA to an AI-powered platform.
Add AI Features Gradually
You’re almost there but don’t rush because of excitement. Don’t try to add every feature at one go. To make things easier, try AI features like chatbots and recommendation engines first. Test how they perform. Once you’re happy with the outcome, you can add more and more features.
Measure and Optimize
Once the platform is ready, and you take it to your users, you’ll start receiving even more data on engagement. Here you can use AI-powered analytics tools to identify scopes for improvement and strategize better.
Conclusion
The shift from old-school web apps to AI-driven platforms is a long journey that defines ages of technological advancement. For businesses in the UK, this is an entirely new opportunity to gain more traction and perform better than ever. However, it all comes down to the strength of your strategy. Just because you can implement AI for everything, you probably shouldn’t do that. The idea is to adopt a gradual transition that doesn’t shock or confuse your users.
For many businesses, the shift to AI from web apps or PWAs won’t be as simple as it sounds. Take data fragmentation for example. Businesses often store their data across multiple systems, ranging from CRMs to marketing suites. For switching to AI, this fragmented data must be brought under the same ecosystem and it’s not an easy task. Most companies don’t have AI developers in-house even today. Another factor is the high costs associated with anything related to AI. If companies don’t plan their expenses and budget, there’s a high risk of draining their capital.
At PTI WebTech, we help businesses take that leap. We have one simple goal: to turn your digital ambition into ground-reality. Join us and start the transition from your existing PWA to a smart AI platform!